Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Feds want secret jury in murder trial linked to Mob Wives tv show

Prosecutors fear jurors for an upcoming gangland murder trial with stars in their eyes may become part of the cast of the reality TV show “Mob Wives.”

Hector Pagan, the star witness against reputed mobsters Richard Riccardi and Luigi Grasso, has become a recurring plot line on the popular show because he is the ex-husband of “Mob Wives” star Renee Graziano.

Pagan, who admitted to slaying Luchese mobster James Donovan in 2010, sports a tux from his cameo on 'Mob Wives.'

Pagan's so-called "betrayal" of his ex-wife and father-in-law, Bonanno capo Anthony Graziano, will undoubtedly be the subject of further discussion when he takes the stand in Brooklyn Federal Court next month, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Argentieri stated in papers seeking an anonymous jury.

The feds want the jurors' identities kept secret to prevent anyone from hunting them down "to generate additional stories," Argentieri warns.
'Mob Wives' star Renee Graziano, who was married to Pagan, at Brooklyn Federal Court.

Worse, jurors might ignore the evidence and reach a verdict to "avoid the notoriety associated with the show or seek it out."

Pagan is the actual gunman who fatally shot reputed Lucchese mobter James Donovan during a stickup in Brooklyn in 2010.

He cut a deal with the feds to get out from under the murder in exchange for testifying against Riccardi and Grasso. Pagan, who made a cameo appearance on the show, even helped the feds make a racketeering case against his father-in-law.